Tuesday, 30 June 2015

The UK has finally seen some sunshine this summer and although it has been out it's always pretty difficult to actually get a tan. I swear the heat in the UK is mainly just muggy heat and not so nice as anywhere abroad, typical. Hence why us brits need some fake tan loving throughout the summer, even more so throughout the rest of the year. That's where this little beauty comes in handy! This is actually the second fake tan product I've tried from Rimmel (you can read the first one here) and I really loved that one. I actually received this particular one in a Latest In Beauty box (which you can also read here) and I'm not going to lie I didn't use this product for quite some time. But recently I've found myself reaching for it a lot more.

This product is great for those nights out where you've forgotten to fake tan and need it fast. This product instantly tans you but is nothing to in your face, it's actually quite subtle. I do think however you could apply this product more than once to intensify the colour if you need it. I was quite worried because this tube is in the shade medium but it's actually perfect for me. It leaves me with the perfect bronze glow and even better there is no shimmer involved here, it is completely matte which I love. This product is also a wash off fake tan so it makes it even more perfect for that night out as you can wash it off in the morning and there will be no more signs of it. Although I do find this a slight downside to the product, simply because I love it so much! I don't want to wash it off as I find applying it a couple of times gives me such a natural looking tan, I want it to stay.

I use a mitt when applying this product and make sure that I moisturise those dry areas, such as elbows, knees and wrists so the product doesn't stick to them. Using a mitt I find that I am left with no streaks or patches and it really does apply effortlessly. It also dries really quickly so your not having to star fish waiting for it to dry before you can put your clothes back on which is a bonus. I find the colour of the tan perfect for my skin, it's definitely bronzy and not orange at all which we all know is a great thing from a fake tan.

Overall I am completely in love with this product and will continue to use it throughout the summer and probably the rest of the year. Although I may need something with slightly more colour come the winter time. I wouldn't normally think of Rimmel for fake tan products but after trying these two I am definitely converted. Let me know if you've tried this product or what your favourite fake tan is :-)

Sunday, 28 June 2015

Recently I've become slightly more tame with my nail varnish collection, I used to be obsessed and my collection was (maybe still is) rather large. Nowadays I'm trying to cut down buying them and only trying to buy them if it's a colour I don't own, a formula I know I love or something brand new which these ones are. I've always loved Barry M nail varnishes and that's mainly what the brand is known for. They have had quite a few new releases recently these Sunset Daylight Curing ones being just one of them.

I saw these recently on Asos, when I was having a big of a beauty splurge, and they had some money off so I thought I would give them a go. The colour of this particular nail varnish is what took my fancy to begin with, this one is in the shade 'Peach For The Stars' (I also love how all of these nail varnishes in this range have names related to top pop hits!). When you buy any nail colour from this range you also have to buy the top coat in order for it to work properly. Although I'm guessing if you just wanted the colour then you could use it alone with your own normal top coat you just wouldn't get the benefits of what this nail varnish duo has to offer. Barry M claim that this duo will create a gel like finish and the aim of this is that they bond together using day light, hence the name.

I recently tried this nail varnish duo at the weekend and absolutely loved the application. I used my own base coat and the colour applied really smoothly. The brush is quite large and square which is like my perfect nail brush. I applied two coats of colour and then applied the top coat which again went on really well. Now where I live in the UK it was pretty gloomy on the weekend I applied this and I'm not sure whether or not that has a huge effect on whether this duo works or not. I was painting my nails for that particular night as I was heading out but by the end of the night I saw several chips on a few nails.

Therefore I can't say I was best pleased with this product but as I mentioned I'm not sure whether the weather was a big factor in this particular application. I will definitely give it another go as I absolutely love the colour of this varnish and it honestly is the perfect coral for summer. That is the only reason I can think of as to why this nail duo didn't bond correctly but if you've tried this duo and know of why it might not have worked for me then let me know! I don't want to give up on it yet as I love Barry M nail varnishes and think this could work. Let me know if you've tried this duo and your thoughts :-)

Friday, 26 June 2015

Having both oily and dry skin is such a nightmare when it comes to buying skin care products that can help both of these issues. Basically there just are none, or very few (any suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated in the comments). This product caught my eye a while back whilst browsing in T K Maxx. It's from a well known brand, which you can find in Boots, and it only has to be applied to your oily t zone which sounded perfect to me. Therefore it wasn't going to affect my dry patches and it also claimed to help minimise your pores.

This product is kind of in between a gel and cream formula and I simply just apply this on my t zone every morning. It doesn't affect my dry patches, as I mentioned, nor does it affect my make up application. Sometimes I feel like the more skin care products I apply on my skin, my make up then takes the brunt of it and doesn't apply as well. Clearly stating that less is more but this product doesn't interfere with that which is another bonus.

After applying this product I can instantly see the difference on my t zone, it really does mattify instantly as this product claims. It sinks into the skin quickly as well which makes it the perfect product even when I am in a slight rush for work. This product helps keep my oiliness at bay for longer than if I wasn't to use this product. I will still need to powder my t zone at some point during the day but I can definitely see the different when using this product and I don't therefore have to do this until later in the day. On the pore minimiser front I can't say I notice the biggest difference in them when using this product. I don't have the biggest pores anyway but I do have them around my nose which some days are larger than normal. I can say this product does help slightly to minimise and therefore when applying my make up it makes it easier to cover them up. But I wouldn't say this is a big enough reason to use/buy this product, I definitely use it more for the anti-shine aspect.

Overall I'm pleased I picked this up and will continue to use it to help keep my oiliness at bay. If you have the same skin type as me then I would definitely recommend checking out this product as it does really help. As I mentioned if you have any oily and dry skin recommendations then pretty please leave them below :-)

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Number one I apologise for the ever so slightly dirty sponge pictured, I think it may be about time that I invest in a new one as I do love it very much. Number two I apologise for the lack of Tips & Tricks posts recently, it's actually pretty hard to think of new ones that often if I'm honest. So I'm trying my best to think of new ideas and keep up to date with these posts as much as I can.

Now since I began starting to get really dry skin using my hands to apply my foundation just wasn't doing anything for my skin. It meant that I was rubbing the foundation over the dry patches and it just made them flake. And I can tell you now, flaking face is not an attractive look. In my stash I found this sponge from Real Techniques and thought I would give it a go. I'm going to be honest again and to begin with I was using this sponge dry and yes I thought the results were ok. Until I realised that a much better way to use this type of sponge was to wet it before use.

I then started wetting the sponge before I then went on to use it to apply my foundation and my oh my the results changed. It honestly helps my dry patches so much more and is such a good way to apply foundation. The results do not leave a full coverage look, which yes sometimes I do want, but for an everyday foundation application I absolutely love it. It sets the foundation over my dry patches really well and doesn't effect it as much. My foundation doesn't cling to my dry patches when using this sponge wet and definitely doesn't cause any flakiness like I was experiencing.

If your skin type is anything like mine, dry, then I would definitely recommend trying out a sponge and make sure you wet it before you use it. I honestly use this sponge daily, other than nights out when I want a more full coverage look. I will also be investing in a new one of these sponges very soon and you can buy them from Boots here for only £5.99 which is such a bargain. Let me know any of your Tips & Tricks for dry skin in the comments :-)

Monday, 22 June 2015

I seem to lose track of how many empties I have then it comes to times like this where I have loads to talk about all in one post. So this may be a lengthy post but I'll keep it as straight to the point at possible. I like writing these posts as it can (hopefully) give you an insight on how I feel about the products fully as, obviously, I have used them all up.

Let's get going, firstly is the Freederm Overnight Clearing Serum which I have actually written a full post about here so I won't go into it too much. I will say I've repurchased this product and really love it for my spot prone skin. Another product I've written a full post about is the Marc Jacobs perfume in Lola, you can read that here. I absolutely loved this perfume, and the bottle!, and am sad it's all gone but I definitely like to try different perfumes so am currently on the hunt for a newbie. Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer is one of my all time favourite under eye concealers, again you can read fully here. Another product I've already fully reviewed is the Nivea Express Hydration Primer, here, this is an ok product and perfect for if you're in a rush to do your make up. But I did find the hydrating part wasn't quite enough for my dry skin and definitely needed something richer.

Right onto products that I haven't fully reviewed before and firstly is the Avon Sleep Therapy Sleep Balm which is a slightly random product. It takes me ages to get to sleep at night so I'm always on the look out for products that can help that. This product smells like lavender and is a thick cream consistency. I enjoyed using this product on my wrists but don't think I'll be repurchasing as I'm not sure it really did anything to help me. Next is the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara which I absolutely loved. This is a little sample size I got when I purchased one of their palettes and was a great way to try it out. I did find that it dried out pretty quickly though, which is one down side, but I love how thick and volumised my lashes looked when I used this.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ is just an amazing product and this is the second one I've now been through and I will definitely repurchase this again. It works absolute wonders on my skin for my blemishes and is such an easy product to use. I just apply this in the morning and evening and it just does something amazing to my skin and spots. If you're skin type is like mine then I would definitely try this product out. Next is the Garnier Fresh Refining Toner which had actually been in my stash for quite some time then when my old one ran out my skin type had basically changed. Yes I still had oily patches but this product did not get on with my dry patches. Therefore I cannot really review this product properly as it just didn't work for my skin.

Another empty is the T Zone Spot Zapping Stick which again was something that had been in my stash for quite some time. I swear spot creams are the one thing I either have loads of or none, no in between. I had a love/hate relationship with this product as it only worked on my larger blemishes/spots. If you applied this on any smaller spot I swear it just did not work at all for me and I have absolutely no idea why. But it did work well on my bigger spots but I can say I don't think I will repurchase this. Finally is the Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm again another sample size I received and I rather enjoyed using it. It left my hair feeling really soft and a lot less tangled which is always a bonus when you have longer hair.

And that is all of my empties over the past couple of months and boy there was quite a lot there! There are definitely some products I will be repurchasing and others I will not but I find writing these posts help me to decide whether or not I would actually repurchase or not. Therefore this has helped a lot! I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know products you've recently used up that you love :-)

Saturday, 20 June 2015

I'm going to admit it, these posts are called "my week in pictures" but I just cannot seem to do them weekly. I don't Instagram enough of my life snippets in one week in order to produce one of these posts for you guys. Therefore, and I hope this is ok with you, I'm going to keep the title the same and just post them when I have enough pictures to do so. I really enjoy writing these posts so I'm not scrapping them they just won't be weekly as the title suggests.

With the apology out of the way I've had a pretty busy week (or so) both in and out of work. Don't get me wrong I love being busy and keeping myself busy, but it is definitely nice every now and then to have a bit of a chill out. I haven't had my chill out yet so I'm holding out for next weekend although I still have plans but it should be more chilled than the past week.

So recently I've started the 30 day ab challenge, for the second time, hence the first picture. My dog clearly decided mid work out that it would be a great time to get her ball and want to play, I disagree. But the ab challenge, I believe I'm now on day 23, is so difficult. I keep pushing myself as I don't want to quit it again but the past few days have been getting pretty hard! I think I may do a blog post once I've finished and do a full review on how I got on etc.

Now I'll be very British and talk about the weather, it's been beautiful the past week minus this weekend just gone. It's actually been very hot and bare leg weather, woo hoo. Fingers crossed it actually sticks around, I mean it is June and all. So this Asos skirt I recently purchased was able to make an appearance. These denim button up skirts have been everywhere and in every shop over the past month or so. I then noticed one in the tall section and instantly put it into my basket. Being tall is such a pain when it comes to finding clothes that are long enough and Asos tall section is amazing.

Therefore I've had a busy past couple of weeks and cannot wait for some down time over the next couple of weeks. If you're after some down time with a good film to watch I definitely recommend Safe Haven if you haven't seen it (pictured above). It's a really good, gripping romantic film so perfect for us girls. I hope you're all having a lovely week :-)

Thursday, 18 June 2015

So I recently wrote a Tips & Tricks post where I spoke about all of the amazing wonders of Sudocrem. I was then contacted about this product from Sudocrem which is their Skin Care Cream. It sounded like such an amazing, adapted concept with lots of other benefits. This particular product is aimed at maintaining healthy skin and can be used within part of your every day skin care routine. The benefits of this product are what stood out to me so I was super excited when I got the chance to try this product out.

This product is suitable for all skin types and works really well with spot prone skin which is obviously great for me as I suffer with that skin type. You can use this product in so many different ways such as; as a face mask, moisturiser and a spot cream. The possibilities really seem so great with this product and also the handy, small tube is great for travelling and throwing in your handbag throughout the day.

I've been using this product for the past couple of weeks now and I absolutely love it. It works really well with my skin, on both my spots and also my dry skin patches. The best way I like to use this product is over night and applying it directly onto my spots and dry patches. This sinks in whilst I sleep and I wake up in the morning and can see results. It hydrates my dry patches and my spots definitely seem less red and feel less painful on my face. I do find that I see slightly better results with this product, on my spots, as opposed to the normal Sudocrem. So if you're after a product for that then I definitely recommend this one more than normal Sudocrem.

Overall I've really enjoyed using this product in all the different ways mentioned. I can always see results when I use this which is why I always go back to using this, especially when I'm having a bad skin day. I'd definitely recommend this product as a spot cream if you're currently looking for a new one :-)

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

I always love the idea of a beauty box but sometimes the contents just aren't up to scratch. The Latest In Beauty boxes have become my favourites recently. The contents just always seem to include a variety of things I would love to try. The main thing I love about these boxes is that you don't have to subscribe and pay monthly for these, you can just purchase them as and when you want. I get emails when a new beauty box is being released and 9 times out of 10 I want to purchase it but sometimes I do have to restrain myself. This one however completely grabbed me and I hadn't had one for a couple of months so I thought I would treat myself.

I received 13 various products so let's get going through them. Firstly a Nails Inc gel effect nail varnish in Hyde Park Place which is a gorgeous grey colour. I don't believe I own a grey nail varnish so this fills a gap in my collection and I cannot wait to try it out. Next is a back comfort back oil from Knelpp which I can say I have already used and I love the herbal scent and the way it makes my skin feel after having a bath. Next from Green People is a sun lotion with tan accelerator which sounds like an amazing product. I cannot wait to give this a go now the weather here in the UK is starting to get warmer.

I then got the newly raved about bareMinerals Complexion Rescue which I am really excited to try. You get two different shades to try out so I cannot wait to give this a go on my skin as I've read so many good things about it. Then from Philosophy is their award winning 3in1 cleanser which cleanses, tones and hydrates the skin all in one which sounds amazing. Next is a beautiful eye shadow from Wild About Beauty which is such a wearable brown/natural shade. I've never heard of this brand before so I'm excited to see what the formula and wear is like.

The Vichy Idealia Life Serum is also included which sounds amazing, a serum which helps your complexion look more radiant and fresh which is just what you need in the summer months. From Skyn Iceland you get their Hydro Cool Firming eye gels which I actually have already used. These felt amazing, so cooling and refreshing. I really enjoyed using these, only wish there were more than one pair included. You then receive the Dove Youthful Vitality shampoo and conditioner which aren't exactly for my hair type but I love Dove as a brand so am looking forward to giving them a go.

Then from Balance Me is their Radiance Face Mask which again sounds perfect for summer. I love the brand Balance Me and have tried a few things from them before so hoping this lives up to them too. Next is the Le Couvent des Minimes Cloisters hand cream, wow what a name! I can hold my hands up and say that I'm really not a fan of hand cream at all, not just this one just hand cream in general. This one does smell great but my mother is now the proud owner of this product. I then got a Hydrating Daily Moisturiser from Amie, another brand I've never heard of, but this sounds great for my skin. As you may know I have dry skin so this sounds perfect and light for summer. Finally you get a face cloth which comes in the shape of a heart and is one of those ones which you put in water and expands. This definitely took me back to my childhood!

Overall I'm super impressed with the contents in this beauty box in collaboration which Heart FM. You can buy yours here for only £15 and the products add up to over £70! This is such a great bargain and such an easy way to try out products before spending a lot of money on something which you may end up not liking. Let me know if you've purchased this box and your thoughts on it, I would definitely recommend it :-)

Sunday, 14 June 2015

Alongside my porridge oat cookies recipe which I posted last week (you can read here), I have also been baking these cookies. Again being inspired by the healthy eating baking and also having a bag of muesli in the cupboards which I wanted to use up. So I began scouring the internet for another recipe which I could try and voila, here came this recipe. I have slightly tweaked the one I found and came up with my own which I dare say taste really, really good! Obviously if you don't like muesli then these probably won't be for you as that is the main ingredient but I can say that some of the other ingredients make them taste much better.

You will need:

225g muesli

75g plain flour

100g butter

1 egg

2 1/2 tablespoons of honey

1 bag of chocolate chips (or something else sweet you would like to include)

First things first you need to preheat your oven to 180c and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Then in one bowl mix together the muesli and the flour.

Then you need to melt your butter in a separate bowl, I normally just do this in the microwave to speed the preparation time up. Once this is melted then combine the butter with the egg and honey.

You then add your wet mixture to your dry mixture and mix them both together well. You must then set this to one side for 15 minutes, this allows time for the mixture to combine and easier to then put into balls.

Then, using your hands, roll the mixture into balls and place onto your trays leaving space as they will get slightly bigger whilst in the oven. Once placed onto the trays flatten them slightly. This step can get quite messy when using your hands!

You then bake them for 10 minutes, I swap the trays over in the oven half way through so they both have some time on the top shelf. On removal from the oven, leave them for around 5 minutes to cool and then move onto a tray or wire rack to cool completely.

And voila, the cookies are made! Honestly this is such a simple recipe and so easy to make. They taste super good whilst still warm as the chocolate chips are all gooey - top tip right there. If you are into your healthy baking I definitely recommend these. They are the perfect snack and I find myself wanting to just eat one after the other. Let me know if you try this recipe and also your healthy baking recipe's if you have any :-)

Friday, 12 June 2015

Lindsey Kelk has been one of my favourite authors for a long time now and I can put my hands up and say that I have read every one of her books. It's at the stage now where I wait for her next release and always pre-order getting excited awaiting delivery! Lindsey's I Heart series are one of my all time favourite book series and this book definitely lives up to those. I find Lindsey's books very addictive, once you've read one chapter it's like you have to read on to find out what's going to happen next. This often leads to late nights and endless chapters after one another.

This book has a great, real life story line which you can instantly connect with. It's all about three best friends, one of which is caught in between the other two where one is about to get married whereas the other is in the middle of a divorce. Therefore leaving a sticky situation for the friend who is stuck in the middle and this is where the story line hits off.

There are so many emotions revealed within this story from laugh out loud sections to sad, emotional parts. I found that I could really get stuck into this book and it is an easy read. It's not one of those heavy books that you need to really concentrate on. This is perfect for the evenings before heading to sleep and just reading a couple of chapters (or more!).

Overall this book was right up my street and I really didn't want it to end. I'm already awaiting Lindsey's next book, he he! If you've never read a book written by Lindsey before then I would 100% recommend checking her books out, you will not regret it. So I'm currently book-less therefore if you have any recommendations that you think I should read then please leave them below :-)

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

As a blogger sometimes it can be difficult to always be creative and think of new and innovative blog post ideas. Sometimes this can leave you feeling uninspired about your blog which is something I know a lot of bloggers hate. Your blog is yours, it's something you have made and therefore want to keep going (hopefully). I'm pretty sure all bloggers go through this feeling at some point or other, hence why this wonderful book by Dana Fox comes in super handy. Dana Fox writes her own blog, Wonder Forest, which I have actually been reading for a long time now. If you haven't checked her blog out already then I would definitely recommend doing so.

This book is such a simple concept but on the other hand is such an amazing idea. There are 365 ideas over 365 pages, simple. An idea per page which is such a simple idea but so great. There is no other writing included just a wide range of ideas which can be adapted to your own style or add in your own niche. This book is aimed at lifestyle bloggers initially but I definitely think all bloggers would benefit from this book in one way or another. Like I said many of the ideas can be twisted to put your own stamp on things therefore could be aimed at all bloggers.

You can see from my photographs a few of the ideas included within this book and obviously they are literally only a few. There are so many other great ideas which you can instantly get inspiration from. If you're lacking motivation or inspiration then I 100% recommend this book, it will honestly give you such an insight into the various blog posts you can write.

Overall I'm so pleased I purchased this book as it's already given me ideas of posts just from the first couple of pages. Also from those pages I've linked to other new posts I can write therefore giving me even more ideas for my blog posts. Hopefully in the near future you will see some of the ideas from this book on my blog! There are definitely some in progress already, wink wink. You can buy this book from Amazon here for £10.80. Which I think is such a bargain considering what you're getting out of the book as a blogger. Let me know if you've purchased this book and your thoughts :-)

Monday, 8 June 2015

C'mon Rimmel... 25 hour wear foundation? Firstly who on earth wears their make up for over 25 hours? The answer is not me! I picked this foundation up quite a while back and was drawn to it's claim of having full coverage. There aren't too many high street foundations which are full coverage so when I heard about this one I definitely wanted to give it a go.

It's kind of obvious but this foundation is a very thick consistency with it being full coverage and all. Although when applied onto my skin it doesn't feel all that thick, yes you can tell you are wearing make up but it's definitely not too heavy. This foundation does have SPF 20 which is perfect for the upcoming summer months if you need to wear something with a full coverage all year round, you're covered. The lasting power, however silly the 25 hour claim is, is actually very good. I have an oily t zone and this foundation really packs a punch when I start to get oily. It definitely stays in place a lot longer than many of my other foundations. I assumed this foundation would be fully matte but it's actually not, I would say around semi-matte. I still use a powder when using this foundation just to set it all in place and also get rid of some slight shine.

Onto the coverage of this foundation, well it is pretty darn full like it claims to be. I suffer with spots/blemishes therefore having something that helps cover those is always up my street. This foundation doesn't fault that, it definitely covers. If I'm feeling confident then I don't think I would bother with concealer on the rest of my face. But if I'm honest then I would probably still use it just to ensure that it stays in place. As we spot prone skin guys know then make up tends to slip off those bad boys so I like the completely cover to try and keep it in place for slightly longer. I have been using my Real Techniques Sponge to apply this product which does help if you're like me and do have slightly drier skin. Although saying that I don't find this foundation to be great for my dry patches, therefore if you have dry skin you may want to stay away. I find it clings badly and patchy on my dry patches however well it may cover it just doesn't look that great.

Overall this is a good foundation although it just doesn't work so well on my dry patches which I am slightly disappointed about. But I am pleased with the results on my oily t zone, it's just a shame this foundation doesn't work on both skin types. Although I kind of feel like I should have known a full coverage foundation would not work as well on dry skin. Therefore if you're looking for a full coverage foundation then I would definitely check out this offering from Rimmel. Let me know your favourite full coverage foundations below :-)

Saturday, 6 June 2015

Seriously why do Asos get me every time? They seem to always have something (normally more than one) that catches my eye and seems to make me feel that I need it, when I probably actually don't. Everything included in this wish list, for one reason or another, I feel that I need it. Also, why is it when something is out of stock in your size that you need it even more?! It's super annoying and I feel needy that I keep checking back on the website, hoping and praying that it's back in stock. Surprisingly half the time, it's not. I do find that when things go out of stock on Asos that it does take a long time to come back into stock, maybe that's just me or the items I'm waiting for.

I love pretty much everything about Asos, the quality, website, endless styles and the saved items section. I've rambled about Asos many a time before on my blog so I won't go into it again. If you are a newbie to Asos then I definitely recommend checking it out, I can assure you you will probably, definitely find something you will love. Not only do they have their own branded stuff but they also sell a lot of other brands too which I like. As you can tell by the Olivia Burton watch which I only found around an hour ago and is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm just not sure right now is the perfect time for me to be spending that much money however tempting it may be.

Be sure to check out Asos if you haven't before although I'm pretty sure all you reading this definitely will of. Share your personal favourites below in the comments for me to check out :-)

Thursday, 4 June 2015

With summer coming it's a time when all those diets and healthy eating starts in order to obtain the "summer body". I can say that although I may not be aiming for this, I have been trying to eat a lot healthier recently. This basically means cutting out the crap, although still treating myself on occasions, and just watching what I eat. I have an app on my phone which I use daily (a post on this will be coming soon, watch this space) which helps me track my eating. With all of this in mind I went hunting for healthy baking recipes which consisted of porridge oats. This is because currently in my house we have two huge bag fulls which need to be used up hence this recipe. I actually found it online but I wanted to share it with you guys as they really are delicious!

You will need:

75g (3 oz) self raising flour

75g (3 oz) porridge oats

75g (3 oz) sugar

75g (3 oz) butter

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon milk

First things first you need to turn your oven on to 180C/Gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper so there's no sticking.

Then sift the flour into a bowl and mix in both the porridge oats and sugar.

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Once you've mixed this you need to melt together the butter, syrup and milk in a saucepan until it's all melted and heated.

You then add this to the dry ingredients and mix them all together until they are combined.

Next you need to spoon the mixture onto a baking tray, placing them quite far apart as they do expand quite a lot.

They are then ready to put into the oven for around 12 minutes but this can depend on your oven. You basically want to cook them until they are golden brown.

When they are finished, leave them for 5 minutes to cool before removing from the tray.

You can then eat!

This is such a simple recipe and makes around 8-10 cookies. I absolutely love the taste of these and could easily eat 3 in a row! They are perfect as snacks and a healthier alternative to many other snack items. Let me know if you try out this recipe and whether or not you enjoy them! Happy baking :-)

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

I've seen a few of these books floating around the blogging world recently and I was really intrigued. I instantly headed to Amazon to have a look and there were so many different colouring books for adults. I never knew, before seeing them pop up, how many different ones there are out there let alone that they even existed. As soon as I saw these I knew I wanted to get my hands on one and I wanted one which consisted of many different patterns so it wasn't the same throughout.

After spending ages looking through the pages I settled for this one called 'The Mindfulness Colouring Book' which claims it's 'anti-stress art therapy for busy people'. This sounded great for me, I really do like to wind down in the evenings and occasionally at the weekends. I would normally read a book, which I do still do, but I thought this would be a great alternative for when I maybe don't feel like reading.

This book offers so many different patterns from abstract, Aztec, floral and animals, there really is something for everyone in this book which is what I love. I also love the size of the book as it's not too big therefore keeping the patterns on a smaller scale, meaning I might actually complete one. When I picked up this book I also purchased the Berol fine coloured pens to complete the book. I really like the fine ones as they make it easy to get into the smaller parts of the patterns more precisely. You get a wide range of colours and all the ones you would need pretty much to complete the book however you wish too.

Honestly I am in love with this book since purchasing it and really enjoy having some chilled time. I was pretty arty and creative in high school through to sixth form so it's nice to get that back in a small way now as I don't do anything like that anymore really. You can purchase this book from Amazon here and the pens also from Amazon here. This book is priced at only £3.99 currently which is such a bargain and worth trying out. If you like chilling, de-stressing and having some down time then I would 100% recommend this. But if this one is not for you then there really are so many others out there, you will definitely find one to suit you! Have you tried one of these grown up colouring books? What are your thoughts? :-)

BA Honours Degree in Children's Care, Learning and Development and working in a children's nursery. I have a passion for writing about all things beauty related with the occasional lifestyle/fashion post.